Torn between Tradition and Modernity: the future of design education directions of China

The rapid economic development of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the past two decades has transformed commercial design for promoting consumption in the country. Design is no longer viewed as the evil it was once considered to be. The ensuing expansion of design activities and design programs has been phenomenal. China is a craft rich country with a long-standing tradition in arts and crafts. The new modern medium- design, combined with a touch of arts and crafts, technology and marketing, is considered a Western import. This study addresses the development of modern design education from a historical perspective with a focus on the interactions between tradition and modernity in China. The paper reviews the formative years of modern design education development during the Republican period (1911-1945) and the most recent rapid expansion following three decades of isolation from the outside world beginning in 1979. The author argues that the pattern of the development of the last decade was very similar between these two periods. Although the 1978 Open Door policy of market economy reform gave a much clearer concept of what design is to society than in the past, design educational reform in China is yet to be defined. This study aims at initiating further discussion especially on the interaction between modernity and tradition in design educational development in China. Instead of providing a hasty remedy for the present or the future, this paper will provide a basic understanding of the development Chinese design education so far, while providing future direction for continued growth in this area